Health  

Information on Donating Blood

In North Cyprus both sexes can donate every four months.

At the State Hospitals, the age limit for regular donors is 68; the age limit for first time donors is 65 or 67 depending on the hospital. The BRS is currently undergoing discussions with the Health Department to raise the age limit for donors.

At Private Hospitals, the age limits can vary considerably down to 60 in some cases. You should check with the hospital first.

You can donate at Girne State Hospital Mondays and Thursdays between 7am and 1pm or the Lefkosa Blood Bank Monday to Friday between 8am and 1pm. If you live to the east of TRNC you can also donate at the new Famagusta State Hospital between 9am and 2pm, Monday to Friday.  

Donating blood takes approximately 20 minutes. The technician will first check your blood pressure and haemoglobin count, and provided these are within the specified health limits, you can donate.

To register with us as a donor, please use the contact page with your name, home location, mobile telephone number, email address and date of birth. If you know your blood group, please also advise then or after your donation.

Unfortunately the new Government residency on line system does not recognise blood donations made through the year as part of residency requirements, as it had done in the past for those under 60 years of age or requiring a test for other reasons.

If you have any queries, please use the contact page and select Chair to send it to. 

PLEASE REGISTER AND HELP SAVE A LIFE!

It’s worth noting that you will be expected to pay your hospital bill in full when you are discharged. Bear in mind if paying by debit card or withdrawing cash from a cash machine that most banks set a daily limit on how much you can have per day and your hospital bill is likely to exceed this! When being admitted for a procedure you should take your passport with you as the hospital holds this and returns it to you on discharge, when you have settled your bill.

ALWAYS ask about the cost of treatment before you agree to go ahead with it and ask for something in writing. It is advisable to get a second opinion on what is being recommended as well as getting alternative quotes.

As members know there has sometimes been a dispute on the discounted price as there has been no written agreement with the patient. Some hospitals have agreed on a formal terms and conditions document that will hopefully clarify matters for all parties. Please see discount list.

Doctors and Dentists issue prescriptions but such medicines are payable at cost by the patient. If you are receiving a regular prescription in the UK please take care to check the availability and cost of any medicines you may require.

A British citizen, with an up to date European Health Insurance Card, visiting Cyprus as a tourist, can be treated in a Republic of Cyprus state (not private) hospital or you can choose to seek and pay for private treatment in South Cyprus. There are restrictions on this and for full details on the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC), see the relevant section.

The main hospitals frequently provide health prevention screening packages, which offer a raft of investigations at a much-reduced price. There are differing opinions on health screening, some say it throws up ‘conditions’ that require further investigation that turn out to be benign and need to treatment, causing unnecessary stress and worry. The other opinion is that finding and diagnosing conditions such as pre-diabetes, high blood pressure and cardiac issues etc. mean they can be treated sooner and prevents complications that can arise if left untreated. In addition, early cancer detection is a lifesaver!

We will endeavour to inform our members of any packages that are being offered at a discounted rate.

GP Clinics

In recognition of the GP led service that many expats are used to, some hospitals and clinics have set up a system whereby you can ‘register’ with them and they offer GP style clinics with referral to a specialist as required. Specialist referrals are often next day or within the same week. You can register with as many clinics as you like!

The number of hospitals providing this service is increasing an you may wish to enquire at your nearest provider.

Ambulances

Most of the Private Hospitals have their own ambulances and they will take you to their own Accident and Emergency. (A&E) The most commonly used numbers to ring are;

Near East / Dr Suat-Gunsel          153

British Kolan                                  0392 680 8080

State Hospital Ambulance             112

Be aware that there is no postcode generated satellite navigation system nor freely available street maps so you may need a friend to meet with the ambulance and guide it to you, if you are not near to a well-known location.

State Hospital A&E - Many minor injuries are treated quickly and without cost in the emergency room of the state hospitals. It is local practice that the first port of call during an illness is the local pharmacist who provides free advice, or will recommend a visit to a doctor.

Hospital details

Here are details of some of the more commonly used hospitals:

• Baskent Hospital Lefkosa - 0392 223 6695 / 0392 223 6588
• British Kolan Hospital - The main hospital is based in Lefkosa and this is where surgery would be done. https://www.kolanbritish.com/home/ 0392 680 8080 In addition there is a clinic in Kyrenia
•  Etik Hospital Lefkosa - 0392 223 4694, 223 4764; 2236328 http://www.etikhastanesi.com/
•  Guven Hospital Ankara with Girne Office - Yasmin Çaliskan: 0533 842 7349
•  Kamiloglu clinic and hospital Girne 0392 815 3282
•  Medical Port Tunççevik Hospital 0392 815 0800 http://www.medicalporttunccevik.com/en/. It can be found on the Bellapais Road just before Altinkaya Resort.
• Near East Hospital – The large hospital site is based in Lefkosa http://neareasthospital.com/?lang=en but there is also a clinic/hospital based in Kyrenia in the Karakum area. https://neu.edu.tr/dr-suat-gunsel-hospital-now-in-service/

There are a number of other hospitals and we have just listed the ones our members have tended to use. Details of hospitals in other areas of North Cyprus will soon be added.

Pharmacies

There are numerous pharmacies in North Cyprus and most of the pharmacists and staff speak English. As in the UK they can help with minor illnesses and recommend treatments or where appropriate, advise you to seek medical attention. The Cyprus Today newspaper, which is printed every Saturday, has a list of duty pharmacies that are open. 

Nursing Care/Home Care

Standards of nursing care are quite different here to the UK. In the State Hospital it is relatives and friends who are expected to provide the nursing care.

The private hospitals do have nurses who provide the care, most of whom have been trained in Turkey. Standards of care can be variable.

On discharge from hospital if you require help with basic chores and or basic hygiene, dressings etc, some Hospitals offer a domiciliary service at an hourly rate. Again this may vary. This includes travel time and fuel costs. They can provide purely 'domestic' duties, basic hygiene, providing lunch, light housework etc. If nursing care is required, such as injections and dressings etc this can also be provided. Again, We  would urge full clarification on requirements and costs.

For respite care or end of life care etc. Dr. Suat Günsel Hospital of University of Kyrenia offer a "Geriatric Service" where a person can stay with them 24/7. This includes the room, basic nursing care and all meals. Any additional requirements need to be discussed and costs obtained. Please note there are no communal facilities here and most patients that take up this service spend the majority of time in their rooms. This can be used for a variety of reasons, e.g. respite care, end of life care or for a longer stay following surgery. If it is for less than a month then it should be a pro-rata charge. We cannot stress enough that you discuss exactly what you require and ascertain costs and that if the hospital fee additional chargeable services are required at any stage that the hospital discuss this with the bill payer before initiating them.

In addition, there are a number of individuals who have a care or nursing background who offer domiciliary care. We are unaware of any checks on their qualifications, but do know people have used them and been satisfied.

The KOLAN British Hospital has now introduced Private Nursing Home Care Packages available now:
Please click here for details.

Assisted aids

The BRS hold some mobility aids such as wheelchairs and walking sticks that can be borrowed by members on a short term basis. Contact the BRS Chairman for further information.

NEW REGULATIONS FOR COSTS OF MEDICAL CARE IN THE TRNC

Updated Rates for Medical Care in the TRNC have now been published in the Resmi Gazete.  They are

• Standard bed: 1,300 TL
• Examination couch: 500 TL
• Incubator: 1,000 TL
• Intensive care: 3,000 TL
• Doctor consultation: 300 TL
• Polyclinic examination: 400 TL
• Examination under general anesthesia: 900 TL
• Biopsy (needle): 1,000 TL

HEALTH INSURANCE COVERAGE (Compulsory for residency visas)

For Foreign Nationals with an Immigration Permit  Foreign nationals, who have paid the premium determined in accordance with Article 11 of the National Health Insurance Scheme, can benefit from health examination and treatment services carried out in the emergency services free of charge. However, all other public health services, excluding the emergency health treatment services carried out after the necessary examination and diagnosis in the emergency services, including consumables, polyclinic services, laboratory and examination services, public pharmacies, drug supply services, all kinds of inpatient treatment services, any paramedical services and any other public health services offered can be used at full cost. The scope of emergency treatment services as per Article 11 of the National Health Insurance Scheme is as follows:

1. Drowning
2. Traffic Accident
3. Suicide Attempt
4. Rape
5. Fall
6. Injury/ limb rupture
7. Electric shock
8. Freeze
9. Cold Shock
10. Heat Shock
11. severe burns
12. Serious Eye injuries
13. Poisoning
14. Serious allergy anaphylactic situations: Severe allergy or low blood pressure that may lead to impaired heart rhythm, respiratory tract obstruction.
15. All kinds of spinal fractures of the spine and lower extremity fractures, which cause large external or internal bleeding.
16. Decompression (diver's disease) situation commonly known as ‘crippled by the bends’ 
17. MI, Arrhythmia hypertension crises: Heart attack, types of heart rhythm disorders that require urgent treatment, brain pressure, hemorrhage etc. rising to a degree that can lead to serious outcomes
18. Asthma crisis, acute breathing problems
19. Any situation that causes loss of consciousness
20. Sudden strokes
21. Serious general condition disorder
22. High fever: poisoning, infectious diseases, heat stroke, etc. If the average body temperature is 39.5 C or above.
23. Diabetic and uremic bleeding: conditions that may start from confusion caused by diabetes and kidney failure to complete loss of consciousness (coma).
24. Dialysis disease accompanied by general condition disorder
25. Acute abdomen: Perforation, hollow or knotted inflammation of hollow organs such as stomach intestine, etc. situations requiring urgent intervention.
26. Acute massive hemorrhages: Life-threatening internal or external bleeding, usually caused by trauma.
27. Meningitis, encephalitis, brain abscess
28. Renalcoholic: A condition that causes severe pain that may lead to urinary tract or kidney damage caused by renal calculus.
29. Acute psychotic pictures: Neurological or psychological discomfort.
30. Migraine and/or vomiting, loss of consciousness, headaches.
31. Discomfort due to delirium tremens.

Within England, free NHS hospital treatment is provided on the basis of someone being ‘ordinarily resident’. It is not dependent upon nationality, payment of UK taxes, national insurance contributions, being registered with a GP, having an NHS number or owning property in the UK. The changes which came into effect from April affect visitors and former UK residents differently, depending on where they now live.

Treatment in A&E departments and at GP surgeries remains free for all.

“Ordinarily resident” is a common law concept interpreted by the House of Lords in 1982 as someone who is living lawfully in the United Kingdom voluntarily and for settled purposes as part of the regular order of their life for the time being, with an identifiable purpose for their residence here which has a sufficient degree of continuity to be properly described as settled.

Anyone who is not ordinarily resident is subject to the National Health Service (Charges to Overseas Visitors) Regulations 2011.  These regulations place a responsibility on NHS hospitals to establish whether a person is ordinarily resident; or exempt from charges under one of a number of exemption categories; or liable for charges.

Nationality or past or present payments of UK taxes and National Insurance contributions are not taken into consideration when establishing residence.  The only thing relevant is whether you ordinarily live in the UK.

People who live outside the European Economic Area, (EEA), including former UK residents, should now make sure they are covered by personal health insurance, unless an exemption applies to them. Anyone who does not have insurance will be charged at 150% of the NHS national tariff for any care they receive.

For more up to date information go to the Gov.uk web site.